The Silver Lining
by femmefatale2
Summary: This is primarily a BenXGwen fic, with lots of romantic situations...
1. Chapter 1: Storms

**DISCLAIMER**: _I DO NOT OWN BEN 10…SIGH!!!_

* * *

**THE SILVER LINING**

**CHAPTER 1: Storms**

"Ben!!!!! Stop bothering me!!!!!" cried an exasperated Gwen, wishing she could lift Ben up and throw him out of the window.

"Ok…ok," said Ben, drawing away from Gwen and her laptop. " I wouldn't even have tried to bother you if I could have gone outside. But jus' sneak a look outside and you'll get to know what's keeping me here… WITH YOU…" he added darkly.

Gwen looked out. " Boy!! Isn't it raining cats and dogs!!!"

"Not to mention all the growling and rumbling going on," said Ben, making a face. There was a loud roar of thunder outside and Ben jumped up from his seat, his face white.

"Hey, look here!!!" cried Gwen, smirking, " my dweeb of a cousin is afraid of storms!!! Ha Ha!!! Isn't that the joke of the day??????!!!"

"Shut up," said Ben, scowling, " you too don't like storms. You're just pretending not to be afraid. I can see it Gwen, you are damned scared."

"I'm not!" cried Gwen, hot in the face.

"Oh yes you are!!!" yelled back Ben.

"NO!!" cried Gwen.

"YES!!!" cried Ben.

Grandpa sat up in bed. "Children," he said grumpily, "Please stop yelling. It's nearly midnight. Wind up and go to sleep, okay?"

"Okay, Grandpa," chorused the two cousins.

Ben stuck his tongue out at Gwen and climbed up into his bunk. Gwen though, did not budge from her seat. As Ben pulled his covers on, she stared at him in a strange manner. She could feel her eyes hovering on every inch of her cousin's face. ' He's cute…' she thought, 'and for a guy of 10…'

"Hey!" cried Ben, "Why are you staring at me like that??"

At the sound of Ben's voice, Gwen was snapped back into reality. A blush crept up her cheeks. What was she thinking of?? He was her own cousin, HER FAMILY!!!

Gwen turned off her laptop and crept into her bunk silently. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the storm raging outside. Blinding flashes of thunder and deafening rumbles of thunder added to her fright all the more. She pulled her covers over her head and whimpered. Right from her infancy, Gwen had been frightened of storms… and she hadn't been able to shake off that fear even now……

On the upper bunk, Ben too couldn't go to sleep. Even though he wasn't AFRAID of storms, he didn't like them. As Ben turned on his side, he heard Gwen whimpering. He couldn't forget how appealingly she had been looking at him, just some moments ago.

As Gwen whimpered once again, Ben leaned over his bunk and said softly, "Gwen…. not yet asleep?"

On receiving no answer, he thought Gwen had been whimpering in her sleep. Contented, he closed his eyes. Barely some moments had passed when he felt his covers moving. He looked aside, only to see **Gwen beside him**!!!

"Gwen!" he cried, alarmed, "I thought you had gone to sleep!!"

Gwen shook her head, sobbing. "I can't go to sleep," she said meekly, "and you??"

Ben smiled. This was an altogether different form of her cousin he was seeing!! Well, he thought, why not make the best use of it while it was there?????

Apprehensively, Ben put an arm around Gwen, hoping against hope that Gwen would not move away. Gwen didn't. Instead, she too put her arm around Ben warmly, and snuggled into his arms. " Ben…" she said dreamily, "I- I – love you…"

A loud roar of thunder shook the RV, as Ben looked on at his cousin, aghast…

* * *


	2. Chapter 2: Twisted Emotions

**CHAPTER 2: Twisted Emotions.**

"What did you just say?" asked Ben, shocked beyond comparison. What HAD Gwen said?? That she loved him, BEN, HER COUSIN??

Hearing the shock in Ben's voice Gwen looked up. " I-I just said that I…." her voice trailed off. Hadn't she just admitted that she loved Ben?? Why, she herself hadn't known that she loved her cousin!! Gwen's senses reeled. So had this been the reason for that queasy feeling she'd been having for days?? Maybe…

"Yeah..." muttered Gwen, "I just said that I…I…" she couldn't continue. A blush crept up her cheeks. Did she really love her cousin? Why yes, she did!! And she had just admitted that!!

"Gwen…"began Ben hesitantly, " I too like you… I mean… we're cousins… but love?? I…I…I've never thought of you in this way…but if you really like me…then…" he couldn't continue any more. Yes, he did love her… and now, he could have given almost anything to get her… but… they were COUSINS…. And he dreaded to even THINK of the consequences that such a relationship could put them into. As much as Ben didn't want to hurt Gwen's emotions, he also didn't want to involve Gwen in a relationship that might hurt HER.

"I'm sorry, Gwen," said Ben, trying to make his voice sound as convincing as he could. " I can completely understand your feelings, but… I'm sorry… I never thought of you in that way…"He couldn't complete his sentence. The expression of intense grief on Gwen's face threw him back. He wanted to take her in his arms, tell her that he loved her as much as she loved him, if not more…

Silently wiping a tear from her face, Gwen climbed down, back to her own bunk. As she pulled the covers over her head, she let the tears flow. In two minutes, she was practically howling. She buried her face into the pillow, not wanting Ben to hear that she was crying. But Ben HAD heard. And it pained him more than anything to hear her cry…FOR HIM…He too loved Gwen, and he was aching to go and tell his cousin that he loved her, loved her from the core of his heart… but…….. He couldn't. He could very well imagine what the consequences of their relationship would be. Their Grandpa would probably throw them out of the RV; their parents- when they got to know- would surely disown them… he couldn't bear to think any more. His eyes welled up, and a muffled sob escaped his lips. Immediately he clamped his hand over his mouth. He didn't want Gwen to hear him crying.

"Ben?" he heard Gwen's voice calling him from below. He quickly steadied himself and answered, "Yeah…what?"

" Ben…" she said softly, " you really don't even like me??"

Ben heard the genuine anguish in her voice. He couldn't bear it any more. Screw the consequences, he thought, let the whole world disown us; our love for each other will take us through it all… He jumped down from his bunk and got into Gwen's bunk. He swept her up into one big hug. " I love you, Gwen… more than you can ever imagine…"

Gwen looked up at Ben, startled. Hadn't Ben said that he didn't think of her in any way other than his cousin?? Then what was he saying right now?? That…that…he loved her?? Before she could utter another word, Ben's lips were on hers, drawing her into a warm, passionate kiss. Without protesting, Gwen deepened the kiss, drawing Ben's body closer to hers. They kissed…and kissed…and kissed…. till they had to stop for breath.

As they drew their lips apart, they stared deeply into each other's eyes. Finally, Gwen broke the stare. "So," she said softly, "What happened to all that 'I never thought of you in this way' stuff?"

Ben sighed. "Never mind," he said, caressing Gwen's face with his hand. He didn't want to spoil the moment by bringing up controversial topics… "I love you… and that's all you need to know right now………………"


	3. Chapter 3: Serious Considerations

Okay, as I said before, this was my first story, and well, I frankly didn't expect so good reviews…. So…. Thanks to all those who reviewed and gave me the inspiration for continuing with the story;

The PhantomHokage, b) Baku babe c) Half-Ghost.

Thanks a lot and please do keep reviewing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ben 10…I wish I could!!

**CHAPTER 3: Serious Considerations.**

Gwen groaned as she opened her eyes to the bright morning sunlight, stretching her arms out wide and yawning loudly. In an instant, memories of last night came rushing back to her, causing heat to rush up to her cheeks. She looked back at Ben, lying peacefully on her bunk. She poked him hard. "GET UP, DWEEB!!" she shouted in his ear, causing Ben to jump up with a shriek.

"Aaaarghhhhh!!" he cried out, "did you just HAVE to do that?"

"Yes!" replied Gwen mischievously, "You'd better go back to your bunk, Ben. We don't want Grandpa to discover us, do we?"

Ben set his face in a grim line. "Gwen…" he said gravely, " we entered into a relationship, but do you even realize what the dangers of such a relationship can be??

"Ben-" asked Gwen startled, "from when have you begun to think of such serious things? I'm the geek out here; you should have left it all up to me…but…"

"Yes…the but…" said Ben, playing with Gwen's hair, " we must keep our relationship a secret for as long as this relationship exists, okay?"

Gwen caught hold of Ben's hand and placed it back on his lap. "You're right." She said thoughtfully, " and that means…"

"We'll have to go back to acting as the forever-arguing cousins in front of Grandpa," finished Ben.

Gwen sighed. "But I love you Ben!" she said defiantly, " how can I throw all those insults at you anymore?"

Ben winked, grinning mischievously. "Trust me, it won't be that hard!!"

SORRY FOR THE SHORT CHAPTER…..DO DO REVIEW. Suggest anything you like. If you didn't like anything, tell that too. JUST LEAVE A REVIEW…


	4. Chapter 4: Fun!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BEN 10… SIGHS…

**CHAPTER 4: FUN!!**

"So," said Grandpa, " who would like to have some of my famous bug and slime soup?"

Ben and Gwen looked at each other, disgust writ clearly on both their faces.

"Uh…grandpa," said Ben looking down at the Omnitrix, " I think I'll just XLR8 to some restaurant or something and-"

Seeing this as a very good opportunity to spend some time with Ben, Gwen interrupted, " Grandpa, why don't you just let the two of us go to some restaurant and have our lunch? I mean, it's been days since we ate out…"

"Okay, okay," said Grandpa, "Maybe you two should spend the entire day out; just by yourselves…I have some important work to do actually…Do you think you could manage?"

"Whatever!" said Gwen, rolling her eyes.

"And yes," said Grandpa, a worried look coming into his eyes, "Don't quarrel your heads off."

"Yeah," said Ben, sticking his tongue out at Gwen, " when we return back, you'll probably find Gwen boiling, and ready to go up in smoke!"

"Doofus!" cried Gwen, genuinely irritated.

"That's enough, kids," said Grandpa, "Now go out and behave yourselves, okay?"

The two cousins stepped out of the RV, shooting each other death glares.

As soon as they were out of Grandpa's sight, Gwen burst out. " Did you just HAVE to tell that?"

Ben nodded lazily. "C'mon, Gwen!" he said, " I'm just making things easier for you!"

Gwen couldn't help smiling at the words spoken by her cousin……friend…….or boyfriend?

She didn't want to think this out. Instead, she turned towards Ben, inching closer to him. "So," she asked, "where do you wanna go eat?"

"Wherever you say," said Ben, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"Let's go to Lover's Corner," suggested Gwen, hoping Ben would agree.

"Fine," said Ben, shrugging his shoulders, "As long as the food served there doesn't resemble something Grandpa makes!!"

They strolled lazily towards the restaurant, their fingers intertwined with each other's. Just as they were about to enter the restaurant, they noticed Grandpa…walking towards them!!

With a jerk Gwen snatched her hand away from Ben, hoping Grandpa hadn't seen. Had Grandpa been checking in on them?? But why?? Had their behavior been suspicious? Or…

"Oh, kids!" said Grandpa, cutting out her stream of thoughts, "I didn't expect to meet you _here_…I mean, this is a restaurant for lovers, you know…"

"Grandpa!" cried out Ben, putting on an expression of mock annoyance, "Please!! What do you think? We were not gonna enter this restaurant!! We were just walking around…looking out for a good place to eat…" he trailed off, hoping Grandpa would buy it.

"Oh…" said Grandpa, still looking doubtful, " But I think I saw you two holding hands…was that reality or just…"

"What?" asked Gwen, feigning disgust, "Ben and me- holding hands? That's so…GROSS!!"

"Grandpa, how COULD you?" said Ben, looking shocked, "Gwen and me holding hands? That'll be my death day!"

"Well, okay," said Grandpa, still looking suspicious, " But now that you have already arrived at this restaurant, I'd suggest you to enter over here and check the food out. I heard this place serves some really tasty food."

"Um- I hope you don't mean tasty your way?" asked Ben, " I mean, all that worms and stuff…"

"Oh no!" said Grandpa, chuckling softly, " I meant tasty _your _way. Anyway, I must go now. Take care of yourselves, and return to the RV when you're finished."

"You needn't worry, Grandpa," said Gwen, wondering why he still wasn't leaving, " You can go now."

"Bye, kids," wished Grandpa, and walked off.

"Do you think he was spying on us?" asked Gwen, staring at Max, now a distant figure.

"I don't think so," said Ben, pulling Gwen inside with him, " Seriously, are you on a dieting course?"

"Ben!" said Gwen indignantly, " What on earth makes you think so?"

"So if you're not, then its time we entered this restaurant, don't you think?" asked Ben, grinning smugly.

Gwen shook her head, laughing at his cousin's dry humor as they entered the restaurant.

0100101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010

"Phew!" said Gwen, stumbling into the RV, " Grandpa needn't have joked with us! He could have told us on our face how horrible the food tasted! Why did he have to lie to us?

"My mouth tastes of rotten eggs and stale bread…YUCK!" exclaimed Ben, throwing himself onto Gwen's bunk, " I really should have XLR8-ed to some Burger Corner and brought us our breakfast, lunch, dinner and all!"

"Excuse me!" said Gwen, " Do you have any idea that you are lying on _MY_ bunk?"

"That's 'coz I want you to join me here…" said Ben, a mischievous look on his face.

"Huh?" asked Gwen, a bit doubtful, " Do you really think we should?"

"Why not?" asked Ben, " Nobody's gonna know about this, is anybody? C'mon, I'm waiting!"

Gwen smiled softly. She walked up to her bunk, leaned down and gave Ben a quick peck on his cheek.

"Hey!" said Ben, feigning indignance, "_**That's **_all you have to offer?"

"So you want more?" asked Gwen sarcastically. In an instant, she was beside Ben, intending to teach him a lesson for saying that.

But the moment her body touched Ben's, she was lost… Lost in a world enveloped by love…

Slowly, the two cousins came closer, and closer, and closer…till there lips were mere millimeters apart. Unable to resist the temptation, Ben leaned forward and placed his lips on Gwen's. Instinctively, Gwen pulled him closer, urging him to go on.

At first, the kiss was timid, meek…and then it gradually deepened. Gwen seductively ran her tongue along Ben's lower lip, causing Ben to groan in pleasure. Ben slowly plunged his tongue into Gwen's mouth, exploring all the nooks and crannies of her mouth, slowly, longingly. For some seconds, they played about with each other's tongues, savouring the delightful feeling…Ben placed his hands on Gwen's back, pulling her closer to him. As their legs touched, Gwen poked Ben with her feet, indicating him to move his legs apart for her to put her legs in. Ben willingly obliged, and Gwen slipped one leg between Ben's legs, and the other on top of his other leg. They put their arms around each other, not wanting to lose that delightful feeling of having most of their body parts intertwined. Ben ran his hands through Gwen's hair, drowned in a balmy mixture of smells from Gwen's body…

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. With a gasp of horror, they flung away from each other; Ben landing on the floor of the RV in the process. Gwen slipped the covers over herself, not wanting anyone to see her in such a disheveled state.

As they sat there, hearts beating like pistons, the door to the RV slowly opened……

**A/N:** Okay…I'm slowly learning that there is a thing called the "Author's Notes" which are supposed to be put at least somewhere in your story. So here it is. Thanks a lot to all those who reviewed. Love it, hate it, just press that button and leave a review…Reviews are VERY important to keep me going!! DO REVIEW!!


	5. Chapter 5: Suspicions

**A/N:** _Okay, on with the next chapter. Thanks to all those who reviewed. Just a short announcement before I progress with the story. School's re-opening from this week, and I probably won't be able to update as quickly as I'm doing it now…and maybe even the chapters will be a bit short…Sorry for the inconvenience…_

**Chapter 5 : Suspicions**

….Slowly, the door to the RV opened, and Grandpa came in, looking pretty fierce. He took in the whole situation with a sweep of his glance.

"What was going on over here?" he asked sternly. The natural warmth and mellowness had disappeared from his tone.

"N-n-nothing," stammered Ben, trying to sound calm, "W-what can possibly go on?"

"Where's Gwen?" asked Grandpa, looking around for her, "I think I saw her returning from the restaurant…"

Suddenly, Ben's temper flared up. Who the hell was Grandpa? And what right did he have to pry in on their personal life?

"You were spying on us?" he asked darkly, looking straight into Max's eyes.

"I don't call it spying," answered Grandpa, " As long as you are on this trip, I am the person responsible for you. And if anything goes wrong, I am the person who shall have to report it to your parents. Do you understand that?"

"No!" cried Ben, " You are responsible for anything that happens to us- on the general side. But you have no right to interfere into our personal lives!"

"Yes, I do," replied Grandpa, trying to remain patient, " I have a right to know what is going on between you, because you have come on this trip with me."

"And that gives you enough reason to spy on us secretly?" shouted Ben, practically screaming his lungs out, " You _LIED _to us, just to know what we were doing? You said that you had some work to do, and then you began trailing us?"

"Yes, I did!" said Grandpa angrily, "Your behavior was pretty weird to me, and that's when I realized the need to follow in your actions, got that, Benjamin?"

Ben fumed. He was seething with anger. He sneaked a look towards Gwen, but could determine no movement under the covers. He sighed, and turned towards his Grandpa. " What exactly do you want to know?" he asked him.

"I want to know what was going on in this RV before I entered," said Grandpa, that suspicious look coming back into his face.

Ben racked his brains, frantically searching for an answer. "We..I…" hesitated Ben, not in the least knowing what excuse to make up.

"We weren't doing anything…" said a female voice from under the covers.

"Gwen?" said Grandpa, whirling towards the bunk beds, a shocked expression coming onto his face.

"Yeah, me," said Gwen emerging from under the covers, " Why on earth are you both shouting like this? I couldn't even complete my nap! What the hell is wrong with you?" She turned to Ben. "And you?" she asked angrily, "Who told you to shout like that? Couldn't you have answered Grandpa directly without creating such a lot of commotion?"

"Well…" said Grandpa, looking confused, "If Gwen says that you both weren't doing anything…then why did Ben have to shout like that?"

"I- I just got irritated," mumbled Ben, " And I still am…"

" Grandpa," said Gwen, a cross look coming upon her pretty face, "Were you really spying on us? That's… I mean…that's so _mean_!"

"I'm sorry, kids," said Grandpa, looking shameful, " I just thought something was going on between you two and…"

"**WHAT?" **chorused the two cousins together, trying to look as shocked as possible.

"Grandpa!!" cried Gwen, looking as if she was going to be sick, " This is so…YUCK!! Is something wrong with you? Why on earth would something be going on between Ben and me? We're cousins!"

"Yeah…" agreed Ben, trying to sound as convincing as possible, " There's absolutely nothing between me and Gwen! How can there be something between two cousins...I mean...she's my cousin…I'm her cousin…both of us are cousins…" he trailed off, getting everything muddled.

Gwen shot a "Keep Quiet" look to him. Immediately Ben clamped up, and let Gwen handle the entire situation. He marveled at the ease with which Gwen had brought the situation under control. He decided to keep quiet and let Gwen do all the talking.

"So," said Gwen, " do you really have some work to do, or were you just…"

"Oh, no," said Grandpa, " I do have some work to do…Now that everything's okay, I guess I should be going. I can trust the both of you, can't I?"

"Definitely!" said Gwen, heaving a secret sigh of relief, now that Grandpa was finally leaving.

"You can go, Grandpa," said Ben, smiling brightly, " We'll be able to take care of ourselves!"

"Bye kids!" wished Grandpa, stepping out of the RV.

As soon as the door had closed behind him, the two cousins slumped down on the floor.

"Phew!" said Gwen, wiping beads of perspiration off her forehead, " That was a hard job!"

"You were excellent, Gwen!" praised Ben, putting an arm around his cousin, " How did you do it? I mean, you convinced Grandpa so easily…and you acted as if nothing had happened! Hats off to you!"

"Thanks, Ben…" said Gwen, feeling pleased with herself.

"But it wasn't fair of Grandpa to spy on us like that!" grumbled Ben, still angry at Max's behavior.

"That is true," agreed Gwen, " But maybe we should act a little better in front of him…I mean, he must have seen something strange in our demeanor that caused him to act this way, don't you think?"

"Firstly, I don't know the meaning of...what did you say…deem- something..," began Ben

'Demeanor," repeated Gwen, puzzled as to how Ben knew so little in spite of reading in the same standard as her. "And that, in simple words, means behavior," she added.

"Yeah," Ben continued, " whatever…and secondly, I can't think of anything else except of spending some quality time with you…"

Gwen blushed. "Well…" she said, "I don't have any objection…"

Ben leaned forward…Just as they were about to lock lips, they heard a slight noise. They whirled around.

The scene that greeted them sent their senses reeling. There was Grandpa, standing in the doorway, his jaws set in a grim line.

"Quality time, eh?" he growled, advancing forward……

**A/N** **:** _Liked it? Hated it? Leave your opinion!! __**REVIEW!!**_

'


	6. Chapter 6: Shaping Up

**A/N****:** _**Thanks for the reviews, guys. Anyway, on with the story**_**…**

**Chapter 6: Shaping Up.**

Both cousins watched on in horror as Grandpa advanced towards them, looking ferocious. Gwen closed her eyes, apprehensive of the outcome. Instinctively, Ben drew Gwen closer to him, and put his arms around her. Then he himself closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. Both of them sat there, eyes closed, expecting a severe verbal outburst. It never came.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Ben opened his eyes. Grandpa was sitting on the bench, staring at them with an incomprehensible expression…what was it? Anger… horror… fear… disgust…sorrow…what?

Ben slightly nudged Gwen. Gwen opened her eyes, looking up at Ben. "Look at Grandpa," whispered Ben. Gwen turned towards Grandpa, only to see him staring at them fixedly.

"What's wrong with Grandpa?" asked Gwen softly.

"I have absolutely no idea," whispered Ben back, " I was expecting some sort of a severe thrashing…"

"Grandpa…" called Gwen, "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm not," said Grandpa, sighing deeply, "How do you expect me to remain okay after I've just discovered that my grandkids are having an affair?"

"It's…It's not like that…" began Gwen desperately.

"That's enough," said Grandpa, silencing her, "You don't have to lie to me again."

"So," said Ben, keeping his gaze down, "Now you're gonna tell all this to our parents, aren't you?"

"This is what pains me the most," said Grandpa, "You people could at least have trusted me…"

The cousins looked at each other, an expression of intense disbelief on their faces.

"You mean…you're not gonna punish us or something?" asked Ben, immensely surprised. Grandpa shook his head, a small smile beginning to work up at the corners of his lips. "Oh, no," he said, inwardly laughing to see the shocked expressions of his grandkids, "I'm not gonna do anything to you. Neither will I turn you out of here, nor will I tell anything of this to your parents…"

A smile lit up both the cousins' – now lovers' – faces. "You really mean it?" asked Ben, unable to control his surprise.

"Oh, yes!" chuckled Grandpa, pleased to see their happiness. "And you're not angry on us?" added Gwen, still unable to believe this turn of events.

"No, my dear!" said Grandpa, grinning broadly, " Are there any grounds for me to be angry? No! You've not given me any reason to be angry with you!"

"But…" hesitated Ben, " We – we love each other, you know. Doesn't _**THAT**_ anger you?"

"Not in the least," answered Grandpa, " Falling in love is one thing you can never predict. It happens when you least expect it, and it happens with someone you least expect it to happen with…and that is the case that has happened with you both, isn't it?"

Ben and Gwen shot a look at each other, blushing profusely. They turned back to Grandpa, looking at him expectantly.

"But," continued Grandpa, " When this trip ends, you'll have to go back to normal life—schools, homework and such other stuff. When, where and how you meet each other depends entirely on you. But if you ever need any sort of help, you're free to come and ask me."

"Thanks a lot, Grandpa!" said the two cousins, gushing.

"You're welcome," said Grandpa, " And one more thing—I'm not going to tell your parents anything about this. You are the ones who have the duty of keeping them in the know…if you want to tell them about it, that is. If you want to keep it secret, then you're free to do so. But just remember this—as long as you don't do anything wrong, you have my full support with you."

"Thank you, Grandpa!!" cried Ben and Gwen together. Both of them rushed forward, giving him bear hugs.

"But kids…" said Grandpa, " There's something I want both if you to do…"

A look of worry crossed Ben's face. "What?" he asked, half-expecting him to give them some kind of punishment.

A broad grin spread across Grandpa's face. " I have some work to do, and I'll be going out…so I want you two to spend some _quality time_ with each other!"

"Oh, Grandpa, you're the best!" praised Gwen, smiling happily.

"Yeah!" added Ben, "Thanks, Grandpa!"

**A/N:** _**Hope you liked it. There's just one more chapter coming up, and no brownie points for guessing that **__**THE CHAPTER WILL CONTAIN NOTHING EXCEPT BENxGWEN ROMANCE!!**__** See you all till then. And **__**don't forget to review!!**_


	7. Chapter 7: Together Forever

**A/N:** _**Okay, now this is the last chapter. Sorry for the short length. Please bear with me. Hope I was able to live up to your expectations. If I wasn't, just let me know that by reviewing. Reviews will decide whether I'll publish any more BenXGwen fics or not. And by the way, I do have some very good fics lined up, just waiting for your approval. Anyway, I've written enough. Now on with the chapter…**_

**Chapter 7: Together Forever... **

After Grandpa had gone, Gwen locked the door, and drew down the blinds of the windows.

"What did you do that for?" asked Ben, puzzled. In the semi-darkness caused due to the closed door and windows, Gwen walked up to her cousin. "We're gonna spend some quality time together, aren't we?" she said, smirking, "So I don't think you'd want anyone to intrude on our privacy, do you?"

"Oh!" said Ben, realization dawning on him.

Gwen softly shook her head at her cousin's ignorance, and went and lay down on her bunk, beckoning for Ben to come and join her. Ben raised an eyebrow at Gwen's feistiness, and walked up towards her. "You really want me to join you in there?" he asked impishly.

Gwen stared back at Ben, grinning roguishly. And before Ben could realize what was happening to him, Gwen pulled him down on the bunk with her.

As they lay there, Ben on top of Gwen, they felt a blissful peace enveloping them. It was as if they were the only people in this world, and their love or each other was all that mattered……

Ben smiled softly. His hand slid under Gwen's chin, tilting it. There was a soft glitter in his eyes that bored into hers. "Let the whole world look on…Let the angels dream…" And the words were carried to her mouth, impressing themselves on lips which were only too ready to receive them. There was nothing tantalizing in his kiss…just a sweet tenderness which pierced her soul, and the urgency to give him all of herself was in her response…

Gwen was glad it was dark in there, too dark for Ben to see her aching need for his love. She reached up to touch his face and he covered her hand with his, rubbing his cheek against her palm for a moment before guiding her hand down over his body.

"I want you to touch me like this…yeah…and while you are doing that, I'm gonna touch you like this…"

Her skin leapt under his hand, nerves skittering in a squirm of pleasure. She tried to excite the same response in him, wanting to give satisfaction, but too inexperienced to know how. A light shudder under her touch gave her a thrill of pleasure. She looked up at her once cousin…now lover…only to see him smiling softly. The smile in his eyes soon flared into desire. He kissed her, and the kiss grew more and more devouring as Gwen responded with all the pen-up passion in her soul.

A wild exhilaration tossed through her veins. Ben kissed her again as his hand swept over her curves, igniting an excitement which Gwen poured into her response, kissing him back with an all-consuming desire to take all he was willing to give her.

He broke away, rasping in a deep breath and smiling down at her. "Not too quickly…let it be forever…Keep the moment suspended in time…"

Ben's hand ran down Gwen's spine, curving her closer. Pinpricks of electricity shot through Gwen's entire body, forcing an intense physical awareness. The initial shock was startling enough, but as their love for each other swirled into their souls, their body contacts kept changing, arousing different sensations, shocking Gwen anew, fascinating her, exciting her, tempting her to experiment with movements of her own…

A male body was SO different -- hard, strong, muscular…the complete contrast to her own pliant softness.

Gwen wound her arms around Ben's neck, and clung unashamedly, loving the whole feel of him against her. His mouth brushed hers once again, and she tightened her hold around his neck, deepening the kiss and pressing herself against him, desperately wanting to impress herself on his heart and make him feel what she felt…

Slowly, Ben broke the kiss, feeling the imperative inexorableness to take a breath.

Gwen sighed contentedly. "Inspite of being just cousins, we do share something special…" she said.

"Soulmates…" Ben breathed as he kissed her; lost to everything but their joy in each other…

It was a divine madness that swirled around them. The world could look on as much as it liked. The angels in heaven could look on and dream… For the magic they shared was indeed unique…IT WAS IMMORTAL………

**A/N: ** _**Hope that was good enough. I saved the best for the last…Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Just leave a review! Do spare some of your time to read my upcoming fics. Till then…see ya!! **_

_**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!**_


End file.
